Which side of the plane to sit on: Chicago to Mexico City?
Flying from Chicago to Mexico City? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Dubuque Hills (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:06 AMClimbing out of Chicago toward the southwest, the right window looks out over the Dubuque Hills and the Gogebic Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve on the left.
- rightView of Dubuque Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Gogebic Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Indiana Dunes National Park (national park)
- leftView of Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve (waterfall)
Flight path features
10:51 AMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Reeves Hills, the Pike Run Hills and Cahokia Mounds State Park (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cabo Rojo on the left.
- rightView of Reeves Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Pike Run Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Cahokia Mounds State Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Cabo Rojo (island)
Landing views
11:41 AMDescending into Mexico City from the north, the left window looks out over the Santa Catarina and Teotihuacan (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cordon Los Infiernillos and Templo y exconvento de San Francisco on the right.
- rightView of Cordon Los Infiernillos (mountain range)
- leftView of Santa Catarina (mountain range)
- leftView of Teotihuacan (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Templo y exconvento de San Francisco (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Chicago to Mexico City?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Dubuque Hills (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Reeves Hills, the Pike Run Hills and Cahokia Mounds State Park (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cabo Rojo on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Chicago?
Climbing out of Chicago toward the southwest, the right window looks out over the Dubuque Hills and the Gogebic Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Indiana Dunes National Park and the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve on the left.
What about on the descent into Mexico City?
Descending into Mexico City from the north, the left window looks out over the Santa Catarina and Teotihuacan (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Cordon Los Infiernillos and Templo y exconvento de San Francisco on the right.